Friday Sermon: Divine signs to distinguish the lofty station of the Promised Messiah

August 7th, 2009

Citing verse 16 of Surah Al Mu’min, the translation of which reads:

‘The Exalter of ranks, the Lord of the Throne. He causes the spirit to descend with His command to whomsoever of His servants He pleases, that He may give warning of the Day of Meeting Him,’ (40:16) Huzur gave a discourse on the Divine signs to distinguish the lofty station of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace).

The Rafi-ud-darajaat God (Exalter of ranks), Who possesses all excellent attributes declares that He sends His chosen people to revive the spiritually ailing. Those commissioned by Him inform people of the transitory nature of this world and of the everlasting Hereafter. They tell people to do those works in this life that please God. Just as God has sent His Prophets to each nation in each era, in the current age, He sent the Promised Messiah. This advent was in accordance with the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and borne out of his ardent love for the Prophet. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had said that the Mahdi would be guided by God and will come to put right the troubled world of Islam, guiding people to the straight path.

The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) received many revelations from God, among them two were the following: ‘He sends down the Spirit on whomsoever He wills from among His servants.’ (Tadhkirah, 2007 edition, p.764). ‘You are to Me like My Spirit.’ (Tadhkirah, 07edition, p.883). Indeed God exalts whomsoever He wishes to, from among His chosen people. As the Qur’an states in Surah Al An’am: ‘…We exalt in degrees of rank whomso We please. Thy Lord is indeed Wise, All-Knowing’. (6:84).

In order to carry out His spiritual system God sends Prophets and saints. His knowledge determines who should be sent with the special message. In this age, The Wise, All-Knowing God sent Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani. His advent has been cited in the Holy Qur’an with reference to latter days and ahadith speak of him as a significant sign for the Ummah as they are urged to accept him. Huzur said if the Muslims read this message with sincerity of heart there is no way they would not accept the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). Indeed, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had said that whoever lives in the age of the Mahdi should take my greetings to him. In one tradition related by the grandson of Hadhrat Imam Hussein, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said, ‘for our Mahdi two signs, the like of which have never appeared before will be evident’. The reference is of course to the solar and lunar eclipses. Huzur said while the mention of the extraordinary signs here signifies the station of the Messiah and Mahdi, the use of the term ‘our Mahdi’ by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) signifies the love and high regard he had for him.

Huzur said he would now speak about the station of the Mahdi who was promised to come and the signs which we observe in support of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani. God had promised to exhibit His signs of corroboration and to exalt the Mahdi. This promise was fulfilled when the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) made his claim and indeed is still being fulfilled. Prophets of God are always opposed and so was the Promised Messiah. His opposition continues to this day. He was granted a lofty station by God then Who continues to exalt him to this day. God revealed to him: ‘Mercy flows from thy lips, ‘O Ahmad. You are under Our care. Allah will exalt thy name and perfect His bounty upon thee in this world and the hereafter.’ (Tadhkirah, edition ’07, p. 72). Also, ‘Allah will support thee, Allah will help thee. Allah has raised the argument of Islam. There is the beauty of Allah. He it is Who has purified you in every situation. The mysteries of the friends of Allah are without count.’ (Tadhkirah, edition ’07, p.127).

Huzur said, today, if one wishes to reach God, wishes to behold His beauty, then the way to do so is to adhere to the true and ardent devotee of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Could one, who [God forbid] associated falsehood to God, have his glory enhanced by being false? Certainly, up till now, one who associated falsehood to God would have been disgraced. However, these are the words of God’s true servant and this is the reason we observe that with each passing day his glory is enhanced further still. God states in the Holy Qur’an in Surah Al Inshirah: ‘And removed from thee thy burden, Which had well nigh broken thy back, And We exalted thy name?’ (94:3-5). God revealed to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace): ‘O Servant of the One Who exalts, I shall raise thee towards Me. I shall bestow honor on thee. None can stop that which I bestow.’ (Tadhkirah, edition ’07, p.159) and ‘I am with you, O Imam of high esteem.’ (Tadhkirah, edition ’07, p.624).

Huzur said the purpose of mentioning the revelations of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) here is that as God consoled him through these revelations, He also manifested earthly and heavenly signs of support. Each person of His Community, no matter where in the world he/she is, has come into the fold by virtue of his lofty station. God manifested countless signs to distinguish his lofty station and it is not possible to cite them all. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has mentioned a few of these signs in his book ‘Anjam e Atham’; a book that he wrote at the death of Abdullah Atham. His death was a sign of deterrent and it made the splendour of Islam and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) evident to the world. Atham was a Christian priest and many religious scholars and ‘custodians of shrines’ did not accept his death as a sign of the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). He, therefore, gave them the challenge of a Mubahalah (spiritual/prayer duel) and wrote two hundred pages, followed by an appendix and also a footnote. In the detailed footnote he mentioned the Divine support and honour bestowed on him after the Mubahalah. He wrote that in accordance with the Quranic phrase ‘end is for the God-fearing’(11:50) a number of aspects were the source of his honour.

Firstly, the prophecy made about Abdullah Atham was literally fulfilled. This was a fulfilment of the prophecy published on page 241 of Baraheen e Ahmadiyya (Promised Messiah’s epic book) fifteen years before. Secondly, his collection of journals that he wrote in Arabic, including Anjam e Atham. None of these were responded by the opposing maulwis or the priests and the world saw that the honour of the Arabic language was applicable to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) alone, whom they had the audacity to call a Kafir (a disbeliever). Their own ignorance of the Arabic language became apparent. Thirdly, prior to the Mubahalah, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) had merely three to four hundred followers. Following the Mubahalah, the number ranged around eight thousand devotees. Pious spirited people came rushing to the fold of Ahmadiyyat. A most touching acceptance followed the Mubahalah. He wrote that angels were putting spiritual light into hearts and the Mubahalah had been a source of immense honour. Fourthly, as foretold for hundreds of years, the advent of the Messiah was to be accompanied by solar and lunar eclipses in the month of Ramadan. Never before had any Messianic claimant granted such heavenly signs. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote that while people prayed for his disgrace God had made the heavens bow down in his verification. Fifthly, the aspect that brought honour after the Mubahalah was that the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) invited all his famous opponents to discuss the knowledge and cognisance of the Holy Qur’an but none could respond to him. He had announced that God had given him unique insight into the Qur’an; the silence of others sealed their ignorance.

Sixthly, following the Mubahala, Abdul Haq had issued a leaflet maintaining that a son would be born to him. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) after being Divinely informed, also issued a leaflet stating that God would grant him a son. With the grace of God a son named Sharif Ahmad was born to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) who was nearly two years old at the time of writing. On the other hand, no son was born to Abdul Haq. Seventhly, what proved to be a sign of honour after the Mubahalah was the fervour displayed by the followers of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in serving him. He said he could never thank God for the spiritual and physical bounties that showered on him following the Mubahalah. Among the material bounties, God pressed into the service of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) sincere and devoted people who considered it an honour to spend their wealth in this cause. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) went on to mention a number of these sincere followers. He said it was with the sheer grace of God and although God had always provided for the Promised Messiah, after the Mubahalah, extraordinary spiritual and physical bounties were bestowed upon him. Eighthly, the aspect to enhance honour after the Mubahalah was the writing of the book ‘Sat Bachan’. For the writing of this book, God facilitated for the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) what had not occurred to anyone for three hundred years. The book is about Baba Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion and it proves that Baba Nanak was in fact a Muslim and believed in One God. He had performed Hajj twice. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) disclosed that his relic cloak had the Kalima and many Quranic verses inscribed on it. Huzur said the cloak is now in the safe possession of a Sikh family. A Bedi sahib of that family, who attended our Jalsa, had confirmed this. Ninthly, the aspect that was a source of greater honour following the Mubahalah was that eight thousand people had entered into the fold of the Community. As the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) was the centre of attraction for all this humanity, this was a clear sign of an acceptance which can only be attained by God’s will. Their spirituality was much enhanced and they offered their Prayers with perfect devotion. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) went on to mention the sincere Jama’ats that had established in the towns and cities of Amritsar, Lahore, Sialkot, Kapurthala and other Indian cities and cited their shining spirituality. Huzur said he wished to say to people who are associated to these areas that they should always remember the sincerity of their ancestors. This will keep us connected to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and bring us the beneficence that God has promised. Huzur added that today similar sincerity is being generated all over the world, be it Europe, Asia or Africa. Tenthly, the source of honour for the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), after the Mubahalah, was the ‘Conference of Great World Religions’ in Lahore. Here, his treatise ‘Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam’ was read out. This was extremely well-received and left a profound impact on all. It was stated that it saved the day for Islam. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said how could God put such sweetness and blessing into the words of an [alleged] disbeliever? Thus are the ten blessings as cited by the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) that God granted him after the Mubahalah.

Huzur said God has shown such signs on every occasion. He read out a few more extracts from the writings of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) on the subject of fulfilment of signs given to him.

Today the physical as well as the spiritual progeny of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) is spread all over the world. God granted lofty station to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and showed signs of His support at every occasion. He grants honour to whomsoever He wishes. He is fulfilling His promises made to the Promised Messiah to this day. Certainly, He will also fulfil the promise that till the Day of Judgement He will grant triumph to his followers over others. Huzur said we should pray and ever try to stay connected to the Community. Time to time, our opponents demonstrate an outpouring of their malice. In Pakistan such has been the general situation that in the name of Islam, yet in clear defiance of the teachings of Islam, they continue to persecute and oppress. As a result the country is disgraced in the entire world. While they have failed in their wicked attempts to stop the Ahmadis from declaring their faith and worshipping God, the country is engulfed in disorder. Recently utter barbarity was committed in the name of Islam against some Christians. There is a general state of lawlessness. Ahmadis in general and Pakistani Ahmadis in particular should pray for the country which is in dire straits. As the situation there worsens and gets critical, Ahmadis, particularly Pakistani Ahmadis should pray, turn to God, seek His refuge, make your actions purely for the sake of God, give alms enthusiastically. It is God’s promise that He will grant us progress. May God keep each Ahmadi safe from all evil and keep the Community safe in Pakistan and other places. After the UK Jalsa, authorities in some Arab countries are also harassing the Ahmadis. May God keep the faith of each Ahmadi strong.

Next Huzur gave the sad news of a martyrdom that took place yesterday in Multan, Pakistan. 26 year old Ata ul Karim Noon was shot by three armed assailants who entered his house. He had left the door open as he briefly went to a nearby shop which the assailants used to enter the house. He was a Moosi and had a sincere connection with the Community. He was an educated person who was in business. He leaves behind his parents, a wife and two daughters, three sisters and four brothers. Huzur said he would lead his funeral Prayer in absentia after Jummah. A funeral Prayer for Chaudhary Inayat Ullah Tariq sahib was also to be held. He was a life devotee for more than fifty years who had a connection of great sincerity with Khilafat. Huzur also announced a few other funeral Prayers in absentia. The names are: Muhammad Hussain sahib, Chaudhary Khadim Hussain Asad, a Syrian Ahmadi, Sajjad Ahmad sahib, Amatul Baseer Mehreen sahiba and Huma Hamed sahiba. Huzur prayed for the forgiveness and elevated station of all the deceased and steadfastness for the bereaved.